Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Daily Lean Tips Edition #53

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips. It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey. Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.

Casting the vision is not enough. Starting out is always the most difficult
part, but do not let the vision fall flat.
Revisit, reinvent, and restrategize until the flow becomes natural. Get advice by networking with other Lean
companies, and do not give up.

Lean Tip #782 - Be Flexible, but Committed.

This is absolutely a must. The very nature of change is enough to
generate discord and frustration. It
instantly pushes some people out.
Although those voices are sometimes the loudest, they are almost never
the majority. Be flexible in
implementation, but committed to the goal.
Those who remain typically show higher productivity, and a stronger
commitment to the company and to the vision.

Lean Tip #783 - Foster Excitement, Motivation,
and Engagement Around The Vision By Articulating The WIFM (What’s In It For
Me) Factor.

Let your employees know how they will benefit
from embracing the vision. Explain and reinforce the financial rewards when the
goals of the vision have been achieved, such as bonuses, recognition, and
career development.Share the vision frequently through staff
meetings, outings, newsletters, emails, posters and employee campaigns. Develop
visuals, such as tables, charts and photos, which highlight milestone
accomplishments of the vision.

Create and align company goals with the vision,
and align individual and team goals with company goals.

For many employees, workgroup relationships and
relationships between managers and workers drive engagement and loyalty more
effectively than foosball machines, logo T-shirts, and Thirsty Thursday
gatherings.

Lean Tip #785 - Model The Behaviors You Seek From
Employees.

Just as the principle at the high school did,
accept your responsibility as a leader and act with engagement, commitment and
responsibility. Do this every day.

Each of us possesses skills, strengths, talents
and flaws. Each of us seeks to belong, to be engaged, to relate to those around
us. Loyalty is built on relationships, shared understanding and trust.
Engagement and commitment require loyalty, shared goals and fair treatment.
Don’t take loyalty and engagement for granted – create a remarkable culture
where there are possible and rewarding outcomes of the workplace.

We are only human after all – Every one of us.
Every leader. Every brand. Every workplace. Every person.

Lean Tip #786 – Create A Good Climate For Problem
Solving

The
success of a company can depend to a large extent on the ability of its staff
to solve problems effectively, both in their day-to-day work and through
innovation. This applies not only to senior management, but at all levels in an
organization.

It's
not enough simply to teach effective problem solving techniques. The working
environment has a very powerful influence on the individual's ability to solve
problems effectively and it needs to be supportive and stimulating.

To
be truly effective in your work and to contribute to the success of your
organization, you need to be aware of the influence of the working environment
on problem solving.

Analytical
or logical thinking includes skills such as ordering, comparing, contrasting,
evaluating and selecting. It provides a logical framework for problem solving
and helps to select the best alternative from those available by narrowing down
the range of possibilities (a convergent process).

Creative
thinking is a divergent process, using the imagination to create a large range
of ideas for solutions. It requires us to look beyond the obvious, creating
ideas which may, at first, seem unrealistic or have no logical connection with
the problem.

Lean
Tip #788 – The Way or Style of Management Within an Organization Has a Very Big Effect on the Ability of People to Effectively Solve Problems.

Often
managers are not even aware that their actions and behaviors are contributing
to the problem.People
who have responsibility for and control over the work feel a greater commitment
to ensuring that they work efficiently. Staff should be given the freedom to
make decisions and to tackle problems without constantly having to get
agreement from their manager. Some managers feel that this lessens their
control over staff and their work. In fact, because people are more committed
to their work, there is less need for control.

Lean
Tip #789 - Planning and Preparation is the Key to Successful Implementation.

The
more important the problem, or the more complex the actions required to solve
it, the more thorough your planning and preparation needs to be to ensure
success.

These
questions highlight the main features of planning and preparation, which
involve:

constructing a plan of action

the actions required

scheduling the actions

the resources required

measures to counter adverse
consequences

management of the action

reviewing the plan

selecting, briefing and training
those involved.

Action
must be monitored to ensure that it is being carried out effectively and having
the desired effects; if not, corrective action must be taken. Once the action
is completed, the outcome must be measured to check that it has provided an
effective solution; if not, further action may be required.

Possessing
good problem solving skills does not make people automatically use them to the
benefit of the organization. They need encouragement, support and guidance in
applying them to the organization’s problems. This can be achieved through:

Commitment to Innovation

Systems and procedures

Reward

Good communications

The
most effective system is where all staff are informed of specific problems
which the company faces in reaching its business objectives, and are notified
of the results of evaluation of the ideas that have been submitted.

Lean
Tip #791 - Make Sure Everyone Understands the Need for Change.

There
are no mind readers in the enterprise - make sure you communicate why you need
to change.So
when you’re responsible for making process improvement happen make sure that
before you even begin that you’ve clearly communicated to others about the need
for change: what is the situation we’re facing? why is it serious or important?
what do we believe we need to do to start addressing the situation?

Finally,
don’t forget to listen to others' interpretations – they may be able to see
something that you can’t.

Just
because you’ve got a hammer, doesn’t mean every problem’s a nail!

We’re
often tempted to apply the tools that we know in order to solve the problems
that are in front of us. But just because you’ve got a tool doesn’t mean it’s
the most appropriate one to use. Always ask, is this the most appropriate
method to tackle this problem? Would a more simple “Just Do It” approach be
adequate or do we require more robust data analysis in order to get to the
heart of the issue? A pragmatic approach is better than one that attempts to
pigeon-hole everything into the same approach.

Lean
Tip #793 - Get Your Senior Managers Out of Their Offices.

The
more senior you are in an organization, the more that problems - and even
customers for that matter - can appear like just a series of numbers on a
spreadsheet in a management report. It’s easy to theorize about numbers as they
appear abstract.

The
Lean management principle of going to where work gets done ("going to the
gemba") is critical to ensure that managers really understand what’s going
on. Get your senior staff out of their office and to see what's really going
on. Even better than “management by walking around” is “management by doing and
understanding.” Get your CEO manning the phones in the “customer contact
center” for a few hours a couple of times a year or on frontline service. The
amount they’ll learn in those few hours will beat any amount of staring at
spreadsheets trying to solve the company’s problems.

Lean
Tip #794 - The Best Way to Build Commitment is by Involving People.

Outside
help is legitimate if you are to build the skills and behaviors you don’t
currently have. But outside consultants can never be the change agents. The
teams themselves and the leadership must own their own projects, from choosing
what to work on, through to implementation, as well as enjoying the credit for
outcomes.

The
best way to build commitment is by involving people. This way they will have a
sense of ownership. By involving your frontline teams in selecting the project
that they believe will make a difference, you’ll build ownership, engagement,
and have their commitment.

Lean
Tip #795 - Communicate 'Why Are We Doing What We Are Doing'

Do
not launch an improvement program without a purpose. Bereft of a purpose there
is no framework for establishing priorities, aligning efforts or judging
success. Many improvement processes fail because the effort is squandered in
improving unimportant processes.

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Tim McMahon is the Founder and Contributor of A Lean Journey Blog. This site is dedicated to sharing lessons and experiences along the Lean Journey in the Quest for True North. The blog also serves as the source for learning and reflection which are critical elements in Lean Thinking.

Tim is a Lean practitioner with nearly 20 years of Lean manufacturing experience. He currently leads continuous improvement efforts for an innovative leader who brings light and data to millions of spaces around the world.

Tim McMahon is a member of ASQ Influential Voices who facilitate discussions regarding quality matters globally.